Animal Use
Local (SBU) IACUC Submission Guidelines
An IACUC application must be submitted by any investigator using vertebrate animals in any activity regardless of the source of funding.
If any or all of the animal work is to be done at another institution, then proof that the proposal has been reviewed and approved by that institution’s animal care and use committee must be provided. If some work will be performed at Stony Brook University by a Principal Investigator from another institution or if Stony Brook University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee will perform the IACUC review, a Memorandum of Understanding must be submitted with the application in myResearch IACUC.
Pre-submittal consultation with the veterinary staff is available and should be sought if proposed procedures may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress to the animal. Contact the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources at 631.444. 2194 for an appointment.
Triennial reviews should be submitted approximately 60 days prior to expiration. This allows the study to be reviewed at the next IACUC meeting; for any reviewer comments to be sent to the Principal Investigator and for those comments to be received back to the IACUC office for final review and processing.
Amendments must be submitted if changes are made to the protocol. Allow approximately 30 days for processing of a major amendment i.e., change in species and 2 weeks for processing a minor amendment, i.e., requesting personnel additions.
In order to submit an initial review, triennial review, or an amendment, for a study
in myResearch, see the applicable submission instructions in the myResearch Training
Manual.
myResearch IACUC Submission Instructions
myRESEARCH IACUC Training Manual 12.11.20 revised on 10.24.2023
The Department Chair/Designated Signatory ancillary reviewer must submit their ancillary
review certifying approval or disapproval of the proposed submission.
myResearch IACUC YouTube Training Videos
In order for you to be certified to conduct research involving animals, you must satisfy the following FIVE requirements:
- Completion of Division of Occupational, Environmental and Clinical Preventive Medicine Compliance for all individuals listed on applications and registration forms. (i.e. Occupational Health Clearance).
- Contact the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) for the required CITI Modules that pertain to your research.
- Complete the Mandatory DLAR Introduction to the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources.
- Review all Standard Operating Procedures that pertain to the research you are doing before you begin your research activities.
- Familiarize yourself with SBU, DLAR and federal policies on animal research.
Meetings are held monthly. Materials are due by the 1st of the month.
The following provide essential information with regard to the use of animals:
- NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
- PHS Grants Policy Statement on Laboratory Animals and Institutional Animal Committees
- OLAW publishes second edition of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook
- Good Animal Care and Good Science Go Hand-in-Hand - June 2008
- Medical Research with Animals: For Researchers and Institutions- June 2008
- Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
USDA
National Association for Biomedical Research
Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC)
Report to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) Panel on Euthanasia
Campus Resources
The Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) at Stony Brook University is fully committed to the judicious, humane use of animals in research and teaching. The Division supports all SBU animal related research through the provision of laboratory animal management and veterinary medical care and assures institutional compliance with all federal, state and local regulations and policies. DLAR is responsible for animal procurement; animal husbandry; veterinary care including health surveillance, preventative medicine programs, animal quarantine, personnel training and special technical support; and maintenance of animal facilities and equipment.
DLAR, with 26 administrative, veterinary and technical personnel, provides quality animal care for over 15 species of laboratory animals located in five facilities on campus. The School of Medicine, and the Departments of Anatomical Sciences, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Neurobiology and Behavior, Marine Biology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Physiology and Biophysics, Pharmacological Sciences, and Psychology, receive approximately $36 million of funding for essential animals research annually.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)?
|
An IACUC is an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The Stony Brook University IACUC is responsible for independent oversight of the Animal Care and Use program at Stony Brook University, and monitoring its compliance with applicable federal and state regulations and appropriate guidelines. |
| What is the difference between the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR)
and the IACUC?
|
The IACUC ensures the oversight of the animals and facilitates research and teaching. The IACUC advises and educates researchers, staff and students on animal experimentation issues, promoting best practices for the responsible use of animals. The DLAR provides high quality animal care and veterinary services. The DLAR staff are also available for education about animal issues. |
| When do I need to submit an IACUC protocol application?
|
A protocol needs to be submitted if you will be conducting research, teaching, or testing for which you need to obtain or use live animals (all warm and cold-blooded vertebrates). If you are only doing in vitro work you do not need to submit a protocol. |
| Is Stony Brook University AAALAC accredited?
|
Yes, Stony Brook University has been fully accredited since 1974. AAALAC accreditation visits occur on a three-year cycle, and the next one will take place in 2027. |
| What are the regulatory underpinnings of the IACUC program and protocol review?
|
Public Health Service policy requires each animal-using grantee institution to have "a committee to maintain oversight of its animal program", and defines “animal” to include all vertebrates. That committee at Stony Brook University is the IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). Review of the animal program and each proposed use of animals is its designated role. The protocol form in myResearch IACUC is the mechanism by which animal uses are proposed, reviewed and approved. |